The Citizen, 2006-10-19, Page 15Belgrave 519-357-1537
• Licensed Septic Installations
• Screened & Field Topsoil
• Bark Mulch • Sand • Gravel
• Fill • Backhoeing • Bulldozing
• Excavating • Loading & Hauling
5
9
on
When you need to get the job done - Call us!
John McKercher
Construction Ltd.
Ph.: 519-887-9061 Cell: 519-357-6547 Fax: 519-887-8734
R.R. #2 Bluevale C an ESOP r_PLPEDUPPED LID
5
Call
PAUL COOK ELECTRIC
for all your
HOME, FARM & COMMERCIAL
WIRING
SCOTT TOWNSEND
PLUMB NG & HEAT NG
• FURNACES
• CENTRAL AIR
• FIREPLACES
• GAS WATER
HEATER
• IN-FLOOR HEAT
• BOILERS
Serving Your Area
519-482-3744
• Keeprite Furnace Sales •
• Wrought Iron Ornamental
• Residential / Commercial plain
or vinyl chain link
• Commercial/Industrial security fence
• PVC arbours, trellises, picket fencing
• Manure tank fencing
• Sales and installation
519-357-0237
Aiejc &-celle/ttc-e
at) e:LtbZel4SGe
MDL
DOORS
A stylish new MDL entrance system will enhance the beauty and value
of your home. Choose from our complete line of steel doors such as
Single Doors, Double Doors and Doors with a Sidelight or Transom
.f.WW/000 . ,
• MDL Doors can customize your pre-hung
insulated steel doors to suit any
renovation or new constructior project.
Primed and ready to paint or pre-finished
to match any decor — it's your choice!
• MDL Doors offers a complete line of Terrace Doors for your deck or patio
in a variety of hinge and swing options. Select clear glass for an
unobstructed view or mini-blinds sealed between two panes of
tempered glass for complete privacy and no more dusting of blinds.
LOOK FOR US AT YOUR LOCAL BUILDING SUPPLY DEALER!
Some local dealers iriehid-western Ontario are located in:
Goderich • Gorrie • Listowel • Wingham • Kurtzville • Brussels • Blyth
THE CITIZEN. THURSDAY, OCTOBER 19, 2006. PAGE 15.
R VEMENT
Deck design and construction comes a long way
By Mike Ferrara,
"The Lazy Homeowner"
(MS) — We've come a long way
from the days when my dad went to
the lumberyard on a Saturday
morning and spent a leisurely hour
conferring with the guy at the order
desk to figure out what he needed in
order to build us a deck.
Unfortunately,- no one has much
time anymore to spend an hour at the
lumberyard.
Worse yet, there are precious few
lumberyards left. Most of us are
forced to go to the local home
centre, where the order of the day is
self-service.
That's where a deck designer
software program can be a real
lifesaver.
Just punch in some basic
information (you may have to check
in with your local building inspector
Continued from page 14
Customers have come from as far
afield as Michigan and Parry Sound,
North Bay and Peterborough. Many
of the northern and eastern
customers are building cottages and
looking for something unique to
distinguish their home from
neighbours'.
"It's pretty much flooring, trim
and specialty work for cottages,"
Rob says.
"We do simple things but a lot of
our business is different," adds
Leanne.
"People come here to pick out
something more than they'd get at a
lumber yard," explains Rob.
They have a selection of more
than 500 different knives for the
moulder, allowing them to produce
intricate patterns in mouldings that
aren't available from mass
production retailers.
"People don't realize that the
expense is in the wood, not the
profile," explains Leanne. The cost
for producing a moulding is the
same whether cheap poplar or
expensive cherry is being used. The
difference in cost is all in the wood
itself. "It's not more expensive for a
more intricate moulding."
While they are an alternative to
first, which is a good idea anyway to
see if you're going to need a permit),
and you'll be ready to start designing
your deck.
You can adjust the shape, add
stairs and railings of different styles,
decide on recycled wood, cedar or
pressure-treated wood, what size
lumber — just about any variable
you can imagine.
I just tested a new package that
was only recently introduced by
http://www.uspconnectors.corni It
only takes a few minutes to activate
the application, which is all web-
based, and works with most
browsers.
Once you're finished and the
program issues you a report, which
can be easily printed out (in colour),
you'll have an entire deck-building
kit.
It consists of:
large retailers, they also have some
of their specialized products in three
Home Hardware and four Rona
outlets.
Their work in cottages led to
some articles in magazines which
have played a role in their increasing
business.
After years of using whatever
was available at large retail lumber
outlets, people have a new interest in
uniqueness and quality, Rob says.
When he goes into homes that
they've replicated woodworking for,
the people are always pleased and
proud. "It's really worth it."
Leanne thinks the interest in
quality, period woodworking is
coming back, even among people in
their 20s and 30s.
Certainly the interest in wood has
always been there for Rob.
"I was always a guy to plant a
tree," he says. At one point the
couple had a farm and he planted
more than 300 spruce.
He's always had a love of
working with wood too, taking an
interest in unique pieces of trim.
When he was renovating a house,
he'd bring home a little piece of a
rare trim if he found it. If he saw a
house being demolished, he tried to
rescue a piece of trim.
• Selected views (top view without
planks, bottom view with planks,
etc.)
• Deck part identification page,
with glossary (so you can tell the
difference between a riser and a
stringer)
• Hardware guide
• Installation checklist
• A list of specs and materials
(there's even a page to submit for
your permit)
• A cut list of each deck
component
• Installation guidelines
• Tips on tools and construction
The best part is that it's free ... no,
the best part will be inviting my dad
over and showing him my detailed
plans and my pile of materials, all
cut to order and ready to go. I can
smell the freshly cut lumber
now.
Now, he says, he's starting to see
some of those profiles coming into
the shop. In some cases he has
knives created to reproduce the look.
It's work he loves and so he has
no plans to grow the business. "If I
had more employees, I'd be in the
office," he says recalling the hectic
time when he had six employees in
his construction business. He prefers
leaving the office work to Leanne so
he can spend his time working with
wood in the shop, doing special
projects like creating mantles for
fireplaces, or doors.
"I couldn't ask for two better
employees," he says. "I look
forward to my guys, I look forward
to my work.
"I'm very comfortable right
where I am," he says. "Now I'll just
concentrate on quality, not
quantity."
Customers come from far afield